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Jun 1, 2010

Abby Update, Photos, Auctions & Radio Show

From Brent

If you didn't get a chance to see the half dozen adoption-auction-donations we post over the weekend, check them out here. I'll leave them up for the rest of today.

Radio Show

Tonight on the radio show, I'm joined by Laurel Diacogiannis and we'll be talking about teens: how to raise them with a passion for faith and values, and how to parent them through times of trouble and difficulty.

We have seven kids, 4 of them teens or older; Laurel has a dozen kids with a truckload of them teen or old too. Should be some interesting stories and advice.

This would be a good time to call in with your questions if you have teens or are moving towards those teen years. We'll extend to multiple nights on this topic if there is enough interest. (www.themindofbrent.com)

From Michelle - Abby Update

Thank you for praying for Abby yesterday. It was a long and tiring day followed by an nervous night. Our trip to ER took over 7 hours. Abby was a sweetheart but I know she would have rather been home swimming with Hannah and Landis.

Abby's self diagnosis before we got to ER was, "Mommy, I am very, very sick." That is a phrase she almost never, ever utters. Let me tell you, it got our attention. Her fever won her an automatic ER trip but I would have called to doctor even without the temp.

ER drew blood work, did a chest x-ray and a quick exam... all very standard for cancer kids when they run a fever. The chest x-ray showed an infection in Abby's lungs and she has an ear infection; not surprising when you can hear her gurgling, gravel-y cough clear across the house.

Because Abby's white blood cell count was so high, they let her go home on oral antibiotics. Do I think that will be enough to lick this??? Uhh, no.

Last night I slept with Abby. Not something I normally do but I wanted to be close if she needed me. Really "sleep" is something only one of us did. Sleeping with Abby is like sleeping in a gigantic bowl of Rice Krispies. Her lungs crackle and pop all night as they struggled to take in oxygen needed. Wheezing and junky I am sort of used to. The crackling stressed me out.

First thing this morning, I started making phone calls to the experts. I will be picking up the x-ray soon and taking Abby to see her pulmonologist, one of my favorite doctors on the planet. I trust him completely. I would dearly love to hear him say "the ER doctor is wrong, Abby's lungs are perfectly healthy, stop worrying".

Remember when I wrote about Abby's CO2 and how she stops breathing at night to try to correct it? At ER it was worse than it was last week. Not good. Her medications for her intracranial pressure make her CO2 dangerously low and respiratory problems can make it even lower as Abby breaths quickly because of airway anxiety. Bad combination. I have a call into the Neurologist about this one. He just adjusted the medications on Friday but it wasn't enough.

I will update you when we know more. Thanks for praying.

Photos From Brent

Thought you might enjoy some spring flower photos I snapped in our yard today. I love photos of plants and flowers but can't tell you the name of half of them. I just water them, pull weeds and enjoy them.

I appreciate your willingness to not only live the hard life with appointments, ER visits, no sleep, anxiety - but to take it one step further, think about it, write about it, and not avoid the crises while allowing others to grow in it. This is inspirational to me. I remain humbled by your struggles, by Abby's life!

Michelle and Brent - the first thing that comes to mind, is "I don't know how you do it", but as the mom of a medically fragile child, I know that you do it because you have to. You love your child more than life itself and you will go to the ends of the earth for her. But, I also know how completely and utterly exhausted you must be. I so wish Abby could catch a break. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.

Praying for AbbyBrent I love the photo's you shared. Is it okay to print them and hang them on the wall or use one of them in my scrapbook. They flowers show the greatnes of our God, incrible how beautiful he made just the flowers

Oh, dear Lord Jesus, I don't know why this sweet family and precious Abby are being asked to endure this gut wrenching illness for so long, but I do know that thousands have been touched by their faith in You regardless of their circumstances and pain. Forgive me for the days that I don't read this blog because I just can't bear to think about the pain they're going through. How selfish of me. My heart breaks. Jesus, in Matthew, I read that all you had to do was give the command and the servant was healed:Matthew 8:8But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.Matthew 8:13Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

I pray for this exact same healing for sweet Abby. I cry out to you, "Just say the word, Jesus!" And even though I believe with every fiber of my being, our ultimate prayer is that Your will be done. We trust You and regardless of what we see or understand, You Are Good, You Are God and I/we praise You. Be glorified, Sweet Jesus. Amen.

Hi Michele,Praying that Abby's pulmo appt went well and that she starts to respond to the oral antibiotics without having to be admitted! Jesse just got over the crud...actually he had para-flu! Jesse's pulmo said that it is going around our community(Baltimore) and is very unusual for this time a year. They had 5 admissions the same weekend that Jesse was admitted with it. Tell Brent that we love all of the pics!!

Love in Christ!Terri, Jesse and familywww.caringbridge.org/visit/jessegreen